Raising of the feminist consciousness - Sandra Lee Bartky

I've just been reading Sandra Lee Bartky's Femininity and Oppression, and found this text regarding feminist consciousness. I felt the need to share this!

'Scales fall from our eyes. We are no longer required to struggle against unreal enemies, to put other's interests ahead of our own, or to hate ourselves. We begin to understand why we have such depreciated images of ourselves and why so many of us are lacking in any genuine conviction of personal worth.

Understanding, or even beginning to understand this, makes it possible to change. No longer do we have to practice upon ourselves that mutilation of intellect and personality required of individuals who, caught up in an irrational and destructive system, are nevertheless not allowed to regard it as anything but sane, preogressive and normal. Moreover, that feeling of alienation from established society which is so prominent a feature of feminist experience, may be counterbalanced by a new indentification with women of all conditions and a growing sense of solidarity with other feminists.

- Sandra Lee Bartky, Femininity and Oppression, page 21.

Dissertation writing - Charlotte Perkins Gilman

If a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband, assures friends and relatives that there really is nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression – a slight hysterical tendency – what is one to do?

My brother is also a physician, and also of high standing, and he says the same thing.

So I take phosphates or phosphates – whichever it is, and tonics, and journeys, and air, and exercise, and am absolutely forbidden to ‘work’ until I am well again.

Personally I disagree with their ideas.

Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good. But what is one to do?

I did write for a while in spite of them, but it does exhaust me a good deal – having to be so sly about it, or else meet with heavy opposition.’

An extract from Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper. I'm currently in the middle of researching and writing my dissertation and came across in Joan Busfield's text Men, Women and Madness'. A classic example of a patriarchal society!

Booklets Finished!

I've just finished putting together 10 copies of my printed booklet of drawings - each one has been bound by sewing and includes 12 drawings. The pages are double sided and each booklet is A5 in size.I'm not sure whether to title the collection of drawings yet, I was thinking maybe something like 'A Kitsch Dozen'? I'm a bit rubbish at coming up with titles!

I want to try and add more surreal elements into my clay figures, and based on the psychiatric diagnosis of 'Intense Vanity' in the 1900's, (that I read about whilst researching) I wanted to try and communicate this idea through my sculptures.

I decided to create the plaited hair on this figure and make it into a chain-like rope, weighing down and burdening the figure. I'm not sure how much this idea translates but I feel like this is a step in the right direction towards more surreal work.

Finished models

I've just finished painting the three models, and although I had an accident with one of them and knocked it off the edge of the table ( a result of my own clumsiness and desk piled high with items!) it was easy to fix with a bit of wood glue. Hooray! I am pleased with how these three figures have turned out, but feel like I need to do more of them to see how this affects their reading.

Draft version of booklet of drawings

I've finished making a practice version of the booklet of drawings I want to make. With the other booklet I made, I didn't include a front cover, but I think the addition of the brown card as the cover for this bokolet works well and compliments the drawings within. Apart from anything, it will help protect the drawings inside and prevent them getting tatty!